


A Foolish Sentimentality

by ProPinkist



Category: Tales of Graces
Genre: Family, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Introspection, Post-Game, but then I ran out of time and didn't have any good ideas for the others, featuring lambda in all his fascinating and tsundere glory, in all honesty I was going to have mini scenes with all the party members, welp, written for the Tales of Nostalgia zine on tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-22 16:17:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13170579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProPinkist/pseuds/ProPinkist
Summary: There is so much about humans and their world that Lambda will never be able to understand. Even so, the one who saved him and his closest friends are his family, and his home.





	A Foolish Sentimentality

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this months ago, for the Tales zine on tumblr that only finally got finished on Christmas day, so now I'm finally sharing the piece that was in it.~ Lambda was the character I chose to write about; he is one of my favorite Tales characters and probably my favorite antagonist in the series (although Berseria's may beat him, I haven't decided lol). He's incredibly fascinating and I wanted to try to get into his head; I hope I did well with his voice. ^^

No matter how much time passes, Lambda feels that he will never truly understand why his host made the decision he did that fateful day.

Of course, at the same time, he _does_ have reasons why. Hardly logical ones in his mind, but certainly logical for a human: his host is too attached to Protos Heis to have let her kill him then, even though that was the only viable option for saving the lives of them and everyone else on their entire planet (typical, for a human to value the life of a single other one over all of them; just one of the many ways in which they are so foolish), and he is an idiot, and naïve and gullible and arrogant and stubborn and _childish_ to think that he could peacefully contain him himself instead, after what he just witnessed was the result of him merging with his friend for so long, and _challenges him_ , making _sure_ that he does not take him over completely through his infuriating amount of stupidly utter blind and baseless faith in him, faith that this millennia-old ancient monstrosity that has caused him nothing but pain so far will bow down without question to the idealistic beliefs of a _human teenager,_ whose strength is like that of an _ant_ compared to his own.

Every time he remembers it, Lambda finds it even more ridiculous.

…And yet, Asbel had been right about everything, hadn’t he?

When he acknowledges that part of it, he feels like it is himself that he understands the least of all.

That isn’t to say that there is only dissatisfaction with everything he has come to learn and understand, and how he has been changed by it. Lambda’s pride will always be a part of him, but even he cannot truly deny anymore how much he has come to value the strange group of humans in his host’s inner circle (though he still will never readily admit it, and he doesn’t need to for them to know, which is both a blessing and slightly irritating, when Asbel becomes smug about it). He is, in the end, grateful for what that single, naïve human decided that day, even if it still makes little sense and amuses him to no end, because despite how inhuman he may be and despite how much he anticipated his eventual doom after everything that he caused, at his core, a desire to live just like that of the humans he had (almost) always looked down upon remains, and Lambda knows that there could be no happier life for something like him than the one he is living now.

This is the life that Cornell wanted for him. It’s difficult to even recognize and understand that anymore, for ancient creature though he may be, that time was the equivalent of a newborn human’s beginning years, when they comprehend little and feel simple things, and Lambda finds that he can no longer remember the voice and face of the man who first found and raised him now. But he still can recollect how he felt, then, somehow; that strange sort of joy and interest and warmth, as much as an alien being taken out of a planet itself could feel, that came from having a kind of what humans would call none other than a _father_. It makes Lambda feel strange, uncomfortably vulnerable, to use that word… and yet, there is none other for it. That was the beginning of his life, the beginning of his existence as “Lambda” instead of simply a swirling mass of eleth with no consciousness, and as long ago as it was now, and as little as he remembers of it clearly, he knows, even still, that it meant something important, and still does now.

But even more than he does, Asbel understands this. He saw those memories recently, and he knows the meaning of that time, and it is partly because of them that he extends as much kindness towards and hope for Lambda as he does, and always has.

_“Asbel… I have an… unusual request.”_

_“Oh? What is it, Lambda?” Years ago, the man still would have teased him about expressing his trust and interest in him in such a way, poking fun at his obvious apprehension like the frustrating host he is, but now, they have long since reached a mutual level of respect for each other, and though Lambda still struggles with words, and behaviors that he finds unnecessary, Asbel knows that he has improved in great strides, and takes him seriously for it in turn._

_“There is no need to rush for this… and I know it is a truly unnecessary thing, but… The next time you have some free time, I… would like to go to Fodra… and make a memorial for Cornell.”_

_He feels Asbel’s surprise implicitly, and yet he does not feel as stupid for his question as much as he thought he would._

_“A memorial… You mean a grave? …Sure, that sounds really nice actually, but… If I may ask, what made you think about this, and now?”_

_“……The most recent time you visited your father’s grave, it… occurred to me.”_

_Now, Asbel’s countenance is softer and sadder, and that naïve tenderness he has for him always unnerves him to no end, because of how very_ human _it is, but Lambda forces himself to not shy away from it anymore, because it is who Asbel is, and he wouldn’t be living safe inside Asbel right now if it weren’t for those “irritating” traits of his in the first place._

_“I see… Alright then, we’ll do it, Lambda. It’s hardly unnecessary. …Perhaps the flower field on Fodra would be a nice place?”_

_A few weeks later, they travel there alone, and it is made._

As time passes, Asbel grows more comfortable with letting him take control over his body temporarily. He can always see through his eyes, but it is comparable to looking through a window with a limited view, and is hardly the same as being able to experience all five senses at once. Asbel understands this, and whenever his travels and socializing bring forth an opportunity for something that Lambda has never tried before, he is given control to explore at his own free will. _Foolish_ , is the first thing his innate nature always leads him to think when his host lets him take over so easily, despite the truth they both know that Lambda will always let Asbel have his body back in not long a time. It is both exhilarating and sometimes mortifying, depending on what’s happening, Lambda knowing that his deep-voiced and stoic and overwhelming personality does not at all fit with his boyish, innocent appearance in Asbel’s body, but encouragement from those who know him is enough to make him willing to try (and sometimes it is purely cheekiness on Asbel’s part, to his annoyance). Even _if_ some things humans do still feel so unbearably pointless and juvenile.

Asbel allowing him to use his body is something he eases into for the sake of his friends, as well, but as it happens more and more without a hitch, those who were always the most skeptical of him grow more comfortable at his presence in their lives, as their unlikely friend.

His host’s wife is the most difficult to win over completely, of course, but Lambda can’t help but feel satisfied once the day comes that there is finally little to no tension between them.

_“Cheria.”_

_“Ehh?!— Ah, Lambda, i-is that you?” the flighty girl exclaims, whirling around from her position in front of the kitchen sink to face him. Inwardly, Lambda smirks, and feels a little hurt at the same time, but it’s mostly amusement. He doesn’t let it show, though._

_“I asked Asbel to speak with you. He allowed me to.”_

_“Right… of course,” Cheria says in reply, relieved, and to her credit, her smile now feels almost entirely genuine. She knows that Asbel has been lending him control occasionally, as he has done it at least once with her around, so that must be why she’s as calm as she is. This is the first time he has contacted her directly, though, barring that time on Fodra. “So… what is it?”_

_“Sophie mentioned something I was unaware of a few days ago; I wondered if you could clarify. She implied that when all of you were young, you in particular were… afflicted with some permanent illness… and that once she let herself expire to protect you all from… me… that first time… it somehow healed you of this.”_

_Cheria’s eyes are wide, her mouth agape in the most silly expression, as if she can’t understand his desire to know about something so trivial now, and if that’s how she feels, he can’t entirely disagree. He doesn’t understand why he’s asking himself, truly, at least from a logical standpoint._

_“I… Hasn’t Asbel ever thought about that before? Surely you know it from him?”_

_“How foolish; Asbel and I are our own separate people; I do not simply intrude on every one of his thoughts at all times, woman, and neither does he on mine. I would think you would know that by now.”_

_“A-Ah, I see, of course, you’re right,” she exclaims at his obvious irritation, and again, he is as amused as he is disgruntled. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking; of course you give each other privacy.”_

_“Hmph.” She looks apologetic now, at least, as well as slightly sad._

_“…But, ah, if you really want to know… Yes, as a child I was very sick, all the time… I couldn’t play with Asbel and Hubert, or do anything else that required a lot of energy, as much as I wanted to, because of it… If it hadn’t been for Sophie’s particles curing me, I eventually would have died from it.”_

_Her explanation confuses him even more, and it’s so frustrating that he even cares enough to feel bothered._

_“I had assumed that human illnesses all come from a determinable source, and can be done away with easily with your advanced medicine. Is that not the case?”_

_Cheria’s smile falters even more, and she looks at him and speaks to him as if she’s interacting with a small child, trying to dumb down her words. Lambda can’t find it in himself to feel insulted about it at the moment._

_“…Well, that’s true for the most part, yes… But some people are just born weak, and sick, for many different reasons… and for those who are terminally ill, the only thing that medicine will do is let them last a little longer… it can’t save their lives.”_

_He’s quiet for a moment._

_“……That seems so very ludicrous; your people on this planet have created incredible phenomena and technology purely with the power of your minds, and Ephinea as a whole came from the ingenious minds of my planet in the first place, no less. And they can’t even come up with cures to save a select few young humans who are dying for no reason? Too busy fighting in your petty skirmishes and wars over the decades to focus on something such as that, I assume.”_

_“…Lambda…”_

_Her expression is a mix between sad, surprised, and slightly touched, and yet he continues to frown. Yet another reason why humans made little sense to him; they preach of hope and overcoming hardship and despair, and finding peace, and yet they don’t even focus their efforts in all of the right places for everyone’s happiness. Such an idiotic contradiction._

_Lambda can’t help but imagine Fodra, slowly losing all of its eleth and drying up and fading away almost entirely, never to be completely revived ever again: a dead planet._

_“…And you were one of those, you say?”_

_She nods weakly, not saying anything._

_“…In that case,” and it takes him a moment to continue, hoping that he will word this appropriately, and trying not to think of how utterly stupid he feels. “…If this world was going to fail you in that way, I am satisfied that… Sophie was able to save your life. …Even if the circumstances that led her to do so were… less than ideal… for you all.”_

_Lambda knows that she could easily berate him, tell him that he of all people has no right to lecture about the importance of preserving life, feel insulted at the implication that she should be_ grateful _that he attacked them that night so many years ago because of what it led to for her. But Cheria says none of that, and although he would defend himself if she had, he would not blame her inside, not truly; if it hadn’t been for Asbel, he wouldn’t have changed at all, and only a little while ago (for him, at least), he wouldn’t have cared about these things in the slightest._

_“I… I’m glad, too, d-despite everything…” she says softly, and her voice has a hint of awe in it, but also genuine happiness, as she looks at him, clearly trying to hide her shock and uncertainty. “…T-Thank you… Lambda… for saying so… for being interested.”_

_He smirks a little, his voice sarcastic._

_“That husband of yours would be even more incompetent than he already is without you around to watch over him; as he is my vessel, I rely on your continued presence to make sure he doesn’t do anything too foolish.”_

_“L-L-Lambda?!”_

He comes to regret ever approving of their relationship once the time comes that the two of them begin to _do things_ , as well as during the years when Asbel is preoccupied with loud, screaming newborn children.

Even still, Lambda means what he tells her, for Cornell’s words to him about the importance of living so long ago before he died have always been etched deep into his soul, even after he was taken over by rage and hatred for the one thousand years before Asbel reached out to him, and so he understands the desire to live through impossible, unfair, outside forces beyond one’s control; it is something Cheria went through, and he went through, back then, and always. For those one thousand years, he wondered Ephinea outside of the humanoid body that had once belonged to him, aimlessly, without truly feeling, escaping Protos Heis’ pursuit and killing without reason… until that night, that fateful night, when he ended up in front of a certain twelve-year-old prince, the boy dying from poison that was just given to him, and all that Lambda could hear then were his cries of _not wanting to die_ , which had triggered that single, solitary truth and desire inside of him, the _desire to live_ , that caused him to spring into action the way that he did, making the fateful choice that would change everything seven years later.

Lambda can acknowledge that his partnership with Richard ended up being a poor one in the end, now that he knows what would await him after, but he does not regret what Richard did for him in the moment of that period of time, and he does not regret saving his life, the life of someone who was and is his new host’s closest friend, and whom with he had so much in common (still does). Although nearly dormant inside him for the first seven years after merging with the young prince, he was conscious enough to watch Richard struggle through multiple other bouts of being poisoned and other assassination attempts, his body weaker and frailer because of it, as well as the mental toll that it took on the young human over time. After his father was killed, and Lambda fully reawakened inside him, his and Richard’s mutual despair and rage over the cruelty of their lives was a morbid, broken, violent and twisted comfort for the both of them, because as much as Lambda was controlling the puppet strings, he knew, and knows, that a part of Richard wanted him with him, causing him to willingly re-accept him after Emeraude temporarily intruded on their bond.

He knows now that there is a better way for him to attain happiness, to overcome his anger and pain, and Richard’s guilt is overwhelming, no matter how much he does to redeem himself. But that doesn’t change the fact that their feelings were real, no matter how much destruction they wrought.

_“Lambda.”_

_He is thrown into complete consciousness before he can truly even realize it, and the first thing he hears is Richard calling his name. Asbel and the other are enjoying a relaxing evening together in the streets of Lhant, not unlike the one before the day when he first began to wreak havoc on the prince’s psyche in Wallbridge oh-so long ago. Giving them privacy as he was, suddenly being in their presence is jarring, and Lambda is miffed that he missed the cues from Asbel that would signal he was about to do this._

_“Richard. Is Asbel using me as a way to escape from something embarrassing he doesn’t wish to speak of?”_

_The prince laughs, shaking his head. “No no, but oh, does he do that sometimes? How shameful of him.” He now wears a smirk, and Lambda knows that this is also why he feels the closest to Richard: unlike the pure-white naively innocent Asbel, the prince’s mischievousness and crass sense of humor sometimes are not unlike his own._

_“He does, on occasion. It is most irritating, especially when he attempts to resist taking control again.”_

_“I’ll have to give him a lecture about not using you as a convenient shield, then. You each have your own separate lives in that body, and he shouldn’t force you to play his role for him.”_

_“Indeed.”_

_Richard lets out a sigh, smiling softly now, and it makes him curious what he dragged him into the open for, if it wasn’t Asbel’s doing. “I did wish to ask though… how you are.”_

_“How I… am?”_

_“Yes. How is it, living with Asbel, and getting to see everything you have seen? Are you… satisfied?” He pauses for a moment, choosing his words carefully. “And also, this is something I should have said long ago, but… thank you, for being so accepting of and helpful to Asbel, and to all of us, back during the Fodra Queen incident, as well as all this time.”_

_“I am only behaving in a logical manner. As I said back then, we both know how_ our _way of trying to overcome our suffering turned out. Asbel is still a naïve fool, but I would be even more of a fool if I decided to do away with everything he has provided me, and continues to do so, out of the goodness of his simpleminded little heart.” He focuses on the second part of the question, irritated that Richard is attempting to expose his feelings in this way, not used to being thanked, because he knows how much he tends to unintentionally reveal once he starts talking too much. “As for the Fodra Queen… her presence will never be felt to anyone but I, but she is here, as well, to see what Asbel deigns to show us. Her hatred is mostly subdued, although she has less understanding about the ways of this world than I have developed… but she is not dissatisfied enough to cause a commotion, anymore.”_

_“…I’m glad she has you to help her understand, at least, then,” Richard says softly. “And I’m glad… Asbel found you, and saved you, after everything that happened with… us.”_

_He puts his hand around his arm, frowning, always a sign of letting his guilt get to him once again, and although Lambda knows that Richard is not miserable enough to let his conflicting feelings affect his duties, and how he treats his friends, it annoys him to think of the prince continuing to lament over what happened even after how much good he has done to make up for it, and even with how legitimate all of his sorrow and anger at the world, like his, was then._

_“Everything that happened was entirely because of my influence over you, Richard; you could not withstand me as I was back then, and as you were. To assume that you could have is utter foolishness, which is the reason why Sophie does not blame you in the slightest about her needing to fight us, why she always hesitated, because she knew you were not behaving differently of your own choice. Even though our anger, our hatred, and our pain, should not have manifested itself in such violent ways, as Asbel has forced me to see, never regret feeling the ways that you felt, and continue to feel, over your past. Never forget that my presence inside you what was saved your life multiple times, and that this foolishly stubborn and idealistic human that we both know made sure that an end was put to our ways.”_

_Richard chuckles a little, putting his arms behind his back now and smiling, his voice soft. “…You really have changed, haven’t you?”_

_“Asbel has forced me to, whether I am pleased about it or not,” Lambda mutters, miffed. Definitely, he talks too much. “Your world is terribly dull, confusing, illogical, and petty in so many areas… but there is more that is fascinating to me, in a strange and amusing way that only humans can make so, and I do not expect that to end for centuries. As long as this remains true, I have… no reason not to continue on this way.”_

_“Well, I’m glad we’re interesting enough to stave off your boredom, at least,” Richard drawls, smirking, to Lambda’s chagrin. “…But you’re right…I owe Asbel everything, as well; he’s truly someone special.”_

_“For a human, he certainly is,” and he prays that his host isn’t listening in on this conversation, anticipating the dreaded earful he would receive about it already._

_There’s a beat of silence, before Richard speaks again quietly, putting his hand on his shoulder._

_“…Thank you… for understanding me.”_

_The words are vague, but the meaning is clear, and Lambda thinks back to memories of watching the young boy writhe inside his bed, crying and gasping and trying desperately to rid himself of yet another unwanted virus inside his body (how ironic, that the viruses at the time were never **him** , though that would certainly be the case later), and then foggy, hazy memories of himself in such pain as well, through electrocution, or severe stress placed on his robotic limbs, or drowning in an inescapable test tube at the point of which they decided to get rid of him once and for all for reasons that the him of back then could not understand at all._

_There’s not much he can say in response._

_“……You did the same for me.”_

Months and years go by, and everything he tells Richard that night remains true, and much changes, even just in the short amount of time to him that his host and his friends live. Asbel, his brother, Richard, and Malik all push to reform their individual countries to the best they can achieve, and although it is hardly without struggle, real progress is made, eventually. Fendel sees the most impressively drastic changes down the line, thanks to Pascal’s technological advancements, and in the beginning years, Asbel spends whatever time he’s not managing Lhant’s affairs to throw himself into the relief work organized to supply food, medicine, and other necessities to the many impoverished villages that the other country has far too many of, with Malik and sometimes Sophie and Cheria’s help. He takes it almost as a personal responsibility upon himself, which wryly amazes Lambda and yet makes all too much sense at the same time; Asbel is exactly the kind of human to be so moved by Fendel’s situation and to want to do everything in his little power to help, not to mention repay the man he admires like another father for everything he taught him in his younger years. He had, and has, always been that way, and Lambda knows that it is something that will never change about him.

When he humors Asbel and asks why he continues to do what he does, his oh-so clever host forces him into control upon entering another house in one of the many towns, forcing Lambda to interact with the excited children and parents inside, giving them the food and blankets they need.

Lambda scolds him for it afterwards, even though he doesn’t mean it (and Asbel knows; of _course_ he does).

Hubert visits Lhant more often, especially once Asbel and Cheria’s children are a bit older. The two brothers’ relationship had been estranged thanks to the younger’s adoption and subsequent education, Lambda knows (even if knowledge that it happened is yet another bizarre and infuriating contradiction to him within this world of humans; why would they intentionally damage a familial relationship for such petty reasons? Isn’t family what they value so much?), but it improves, slowly but surely. He doesn’t marry the president’s daughter, of course, and never ends up marrying at all – though he and a certain Amarcian do come to some sort of eventual acknowledgement of each other, somehow, after far too long in his opinion, and as much as Lambda finds it funny (as do everyone else, he knows), he also believes that marriage would not suit _those_ two in the slightest. Hubert’s fine with that, though, and proves to be a good enough uncle, if not a parent.

The two new children in the Lhant manor are spoiled, of course, and not just by Hubert. Sophie is beyond thrilled to have another sibling, and she brings them into her flower shop whenever she can once they are old enough to be interested and understand, teaching them all of her knowledge. Malik tells them stories, just like he told (and still does, sometimes) Sophie in the past. Pascal entertains them with never-ending oddball contraptions of hers, and Richard brings them elaborate gifts, he and Hubert getting into _serious_ and lengthy discussions with the kids about the Sunscreen Rangers and whatever other cartoon drivel they were obsessed with when they themselves were young (it exasperates Asbel, and is one of the few times he and Lambda one hundred percent agree with each other). On rare occasions, all nine of them reunite for Lhant’s annual festival, or simply to meet up somewhere else, as one big family gathering, and it fills him with a noticeable warm feeling that Lambda can only describe as nostalgia.

Eventually, after they have reached their early teens, Asbel tells his children about everything, and about the being inside of him, with Lambda’s permission. They accept everything, and him, (almost) without question, and he is both surprised and yet also not in the slightest, knowing where they get their naivete and open-mindedness from (he rolls his metaphorical eyes, but good-naturedly).

When Asbel reaches his late forties, he tells Lambda that Pascal has figured out how to make a new body for him, and asks if he would like to accept the offer. It takes him a good number of weeks before he ultimately agrees.

He is grateful that his host didn’t pressure him into the proposal, but even still, Lambda understands what he wants to hear, and understands why.

Pascal, who has now matured into a woman similar in beauty to that of her sister in the past, but still retaining her same eccentric spunk, lets him choose entirely how it will look, even as he feels as though he doesn’t truly care. Sophie, in his place, gives her opinions, understanding all of his subtle concerns and uncertainties without it even being said (as she always has, more than everyone else, despite how intuitive Asbel and Richard are, because she can _empathize_ ), and gives him the body of a normal adult man, forever doing away with the humanoid child body which has been tied to his image for over a millenium now.

After all, he’s not that alien being anymore. He is something new, something refined, some _one_ that, as ridiculous as it feels to realize, eight humans (and one other human-like being) consider their friend.

When Lambda leaves Asbel’s body for the first time in over twenty years, and enters his new one, he feels like he’s leaving a security, a familiarity, a comfort behind, and he doesn’t understand how a measly twenty-plus years could suddenly feel so, so long.

Asbel is thrilled to see him finally be able to be his own person, though, as is Sophie, and when they both hug him tightly, Lambda decides that maybe he can grow to get used to it (and yet, even still, years later, Asbel, kind and perceptive as he is, lets him return to within him every once in a while, knowing that he prefers it, despite everything _)_.

It isn’t long after that that he and Cheria’s children have children of their own, and they begin to grow up. Lambda and Sophie spend as much time with everyone as they possibly can, as the twilight years approach, and everyone makes an effort to meet up as much as it is possible anymore, as the countries continue to prosper and face crises at the same time, over the years.

Eventually, Malik is the first to pass away. It is the first time Lambda sees Sophie cry for any reason other than joy, and the most, even as she prays that his soul is happy with Kurt and Lorelia now, and so many attend his funeral in Fendel, well-loved by the people for everything he did for his city.

Lambda finds that he is still unable to cry, to his selfish relief (and yet, the fact that he feels the urge to at all is beyond words to him).

Years after that, Richard goes, all of the damage done to his body in his childhood catching up with him in the form of illness. Sophie and Asbel plant new flowers in front of the tree on Lhant Hill, where all four of their names remain, and the three of them reform the friendship pact together, not caring how ridiculous their party of a teenage girl, a young man, and an elderly man appears (and Lambda, back then, would have called friendship “foolish”, and still might now if only to save his pride, and yet, something changed the innocent day he first wrote his name on that tree, because even if he scoffed at it at the time, it means something now, and has for years and years, and he can no longer ignore that, ever).

Cheria passes away next, and later Hubert; both are devastating affairs, with how close to each other they come, and a shadow looms over Lhant and Strahta for what feels like ages. Pascal’s death is unexpected, the Amarcians’ outside appearances never truly matching their real age on the inside, but one day she is simply gone, and although it is a rather private affair in the Enclave, they allow the three of them to keep some of her inventions, including a “mecha-Pascal” she created to look like herself (except not, of course).

A few years later, Asbel asks to be taken to Fodra. Sophie and Lambda accompany him there.

_“…Sophie.”_

_They are sitting in the flower field in the Arcadia Garden, the sole remaining place of beautiful life on this long-dead relic of a planet which holds so many memories for the two of them; mostly painful ones, but painful ones that would eventually bring forth happier ones, which is why they are important._

_Sophie Lhant has her father’s head in her lap. His eyes are closed, his smile is peaceful, and rivers and rivers of tears pour from her own eyes, even as she smiles, somehow, as well._

_“…Y-Yes, Lambda?”_

_She looks up at him slowly, weakly, and Lambda knows he is not good with words, even as much as he has improved and changed and learned from those humans that he can call nothing but dear now, yet he knows now that he has to try, for her sake._

_“Sophie…” he says again, and his voice is so gentle, which feels so unnatural for him and yet right at the same time. “…This… is not the end. It is the beginning.”_

_He takes her hand, and he smiles ever-so-slightly._

_“There is so much to be done, so much to see… So much that we_ will _see. …And I will be with you through it all.”_

_The girl who is a humanoid just like him, and yet so very human, also like him, stares at him for a few moments, her eyes widening. Eventually, she turns to look down at Asbel once more, letting out a choked sort of sobbing-laugh as she kisses his forehead, and then, she turns back to him, reaching out and pulling him into her arms. Lambda starts, if only for a moment, before slowly allowing himself to return the hug, thinking that whatever he has inside him that closest resembles a heart is pounding rapidly and warmly, making him feel the way he does, and he can scarcely believe that this is what the two of them have become, after how they originally were meant for no other purpose than to kill each other, and die._

_How things can change in the most unexpected of ways. What incredible marvels and impossibilities humans can bring about. Fodra was always doomed for death, with their narrow-minded ways (except for that one man, that man that he will never forget)… but Ephinea is different: they are the reason they are here, as they are, right now._

_“Y-You’re right, of course… Asbel’s family is counting on us, to see his dream fulfilled… a-and none of them will ever truly be gone, not really.”_

_“That’s right,” Lambda replies quietly, embracing the emotions that he once so despised. “We have work to do, Sophie.”_

_“…Thank you, for being with me, Lambda… I won’t feel alone, not truly, as long as I still have you.”_

_His eyes feel the slightest hint of wetness, but he ignores it, hugging her tighter._

_“The same for I… Thank_ you _… Protos Heis.”_

Despite everything, Lambda never fully and completely understands humans; not even the one who gave him a real chance at life.

But that’s perfectly all right. Just being able to live among them and see everything they have to show him is enough.


End file.
